Monday, August 22, 2011

The turnout for the recent primary election in Dearborn Heights should be cause for concern to every person in the city. With 37,000 registered voters, only 3,510 voted on August 2nd. Primary elections are the first and most important step in the election process. It is the first opportunity to make your opinion count. If you don’t vote in the primary then you may lose your chance to vote for your choice in the general election.

The League of Women Voters has always believed in the importance of primary elections and that is why, in the recent election, the Dearborn – Dearborn Heights League of Women Voters spent time and money to put on a candidate forum and to publish a Voter Guide. We would like to thank all the candidates for their participation and for their active involvement in this democratic process.

We also would like to remind all registered voters that democracy is not a spectator sport.

You cannot sit on the sidelines and expect your voice to be heard.

Local government is the where our democracy begins. Many people today complain that government doesn’t listen to them. But local government is where it starts. This is where your voice can most readily be heard. The office of City Clerk oversees elections and protects our rights in the voting process. If you didn’t vote in this election ask yourself why. What is more important than protecting our rights as citizens.

Throughout the world today we see people dying for the rights that we take for granted.

The League of Women Voters, as a non-partisan organization, asks Dearborn Heights citizens, as well as area citizens, to participate with us in finding ways to increase voter interest and participation. As a community, together, we can learn from this poor turnout and become engaged citizens.